


"Can I Kiss You?"

by thesunmetmoon



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Childhood Friends, Falling In Love, Fluff, Growing Up Together, Light Angst, M/M, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24604183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesunmetmoon/pseuds/thesunmetmoon
Summary: All the times Mingyu ask if he can kiss his childhood friend, Wonwoo.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu
Comments: 71
Kudos: 278





	1. 5.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very short fic. I just want to write these two so bad. Enjoy :)
> 
> [CC](https://curiouscat.qa/vienely) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thesunmetmoon) for Indonesian AU (stories, check Likes)

_** 5. ** _

He was 5 when they met for the first time.

His family just moved to this new place, far away from where he had left all his friends. Mingyu cried when he said goodbye to his kindergarten teachers, to all his friends back there. He hated his parents for making them separated. But that hate was washed away in an instant as he saw a head peeked from behind his neighbour. A pair of curious dark eyes behind round glasses, looking at him from top to toe. He was being judged, Mingyu thought, scanned at the least.

He frowned. That was not nice.

"Who is that?" he pointed at said head, making it startled then retreated back, disappeared from his sight.

His neighbour, a kind and beautiful woman, laughed. "Oh, this is Wonwoo. Come on, darling, introduce yourself to our new neighbour," with that, she moved to the side, showing Mingyu a full revelation of the head.

It was a boy. Taller than him by a few inches. His hair was as dark as his eyes, jutted out in all directions. His skin was so fair, even pale in comparison. He did not look at any of them, keeping his gaze grounded to the wooden floor.

Because no words coming after a moment passed by, Mingyu decided to be the initiator. He always was. That's just how he was.

"Hi. I'm Kim Mingyu," he held out his hand. "I have lotsa toys. My treasure is a racing car my dad gave me for my birthday. I will let you play with it!"

Startled, the boy lifted his head, staring at him. Just...staring at him. Mingyu, of course, grew uncomfortable from the long stare.

"Umm, I'm sorry," his hand fell. "You don't want to play with me."

Suddenly, a rushed hand gripped his wrist.

".... No, no, I want-"

Now, it's Mingyu's turn to be startled. He looked at the hand on his wrist, then to the boy's face.

"I want to...it's just..."

Mingyu's eyes grew even wider as he noticed how the boy squirmed in discomfort. He looked down again, but face adorned with an interesting shade of red. A woman's laughter interrupted his train of thoughts.

"Really, this child," the woman nudged the boy. "I'm sorry, Mingyu, this boy is just extremely shy. Of course he wants to play with you. Isn't that right, Wonwoo?"

Slowly, really slow, the boy nodded.

"Umm...I'm Jeon Wonwoo. I'm 6 years old...," he lifted his hands, forming the number. "I... I like to read, so I have more books than toys. But-but I have stuffed animals, so, so I can lend you my favourite teddy bear.... if-if that's okay..."

Voice, thin, dispersed into the air. But, thin as it was, trembled and unsure, that was enough for the young Kim Mingyu to break into a wide grin.

"Of course it is!" he caught Wonwoo's hand, surprising the boy as he held it tight. "Nice to meet you, Wonwoo! Let's be good friends!"

He shook the hand, up and down. Seeing how the boy in front of him kept shaking his hand, Wonwoo could not help but giggle. Softly. Sweetly. Something good that Mingyu had never heard before in his life.

"Yes, let's be friends, Mingyu."

Then, a smile. Enchanting.

He was enchanted.

"Veto."

("Wait, when did you learn that word, Mingyu, son??")

"I changed my mind."

Wonwoo's dark eyelashes blinked slowly in question. The boy in front of him locked their gazes, strong and with clear intention.

"I want to kiss you."

Gasps surrounded them, as Mingyu gripped tighter on Wonwoo's hand.

"One day, let's get married, Wonwoo."

.

.

.

"....What?"


	2. 11.

_** 11. ** _

At the age of 11, girls at their school started to target boys for first kisses before elementary graduation.

Being neighbors, Mingyu and Wonwoo practically went to the same local school within their housing area. Every morning, every day, they walked together to and from school, exchanging all little things happened that day between each other. Mingyu would share the magazines his other friends brought to school illegally, or telling whose kick managed to score a goal in the soccer game they played at break. Wonwoo, on the other hand, would enlighten Mingyu's day by reciting the story of all books he read during his spare time in library. Mingyu would always listen to him happily, genuinely interested, since Wonwoo had this special ability to identify which story would intrigue Mingyu the most.

Growing up, Mingyu knew what people see from him. What they expected him to be. They saw a handsome, heartthrob troublemaker in process. He was blessed with good looks and tall height. A natural jock body type. Of course, he's thin and lanky now, but most people believed it would be different in, like, 5 years. His sun-kissed skin and puppy dog demeanor only added the potential. Not to mention he was born as a people pleaser, with a charming smile ready to swerve everyone into his lane at a glance.

His mother once said, "Kim Mingyu, I wonder how many hearts would you break in the future." She giggled, stroking her son's hair with so much adoration.

Little did she know, it would be the reversal of her words.

"Let's go play baseball" he spun his head to Wonwoo. They were walking home together. "If you win, I'll buy you an ice cream!"

Wonwoo's expression, however, turned sad. "I can't," he said, gripping hard on his backpack straps. "I need to study." Mingyu frowned.

"You study every day, Won."

"This time is different," he pouted. Cutely. Yes, Mingyu had to add that specific adjective. "I got bad score in last Math exam, so I need to study for the next." The bespectacled boy sighed. "If not, Mom's gonna burn all my books."

"Really?" now, Mingyu honestly was surprised. He did not know Wonwoo's mother was that strict. "That bad?"

Wonwoo nodded, "That bad."

They walked in silence until they reached the next crossroad. Mingyu had to go left, while Wonwoo right. The crossroad Mingyu hated so damn much.

"Let me teach you tomorrow at school, then," Wonwoo blinked. He looked at Mingyu's side profile, drowned in confusion. The other boy did not see his way, but Wonwoo knew Mingyu noticed it. "I got 98. Last Math exam."

A silent gasp was heard. "But...," he bit his nether lip. "But I thought you hate studying..."

"I do. Hate it," Mingyu made a disgusted face. "Hate, hate, _hate_ it."

"T-then-"

"But I like Math," at that moment, he looked at Wonwoo. Relaxed grin etched on his face as if permanently. "I can teach you. We’re in different grades, but Math is Math. With formulas and a little logic, everyone can do it."

"But I-"

"And, in return, you can tell me more stories from your books. How's that?"

"...."

Wonwoo sighed. The bad side of having Mingyu as a friend was that, once the boy decided on something, he absolutely, without fail, must attain it.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

Wonwoo nodded again, "Okay."

Mingyu's grin only got wider.

" _Okay_."

* * *

The next day, Wonwoo and Mingyu stayed at Wonwoo’s classroom during break. Both had their textbooks opened on the desk, with a notebook too for Wonwoo. No one asked why Mingyu, their underclassman, was seen there, as those two were inseparable since the beginning. It occurred like a daily routine for their classmates, seeing Mingyu and Wonwoo together like that.

"So you see, if you subtract this then divide by this..."

"Uh-uh."

"And this one goes here..."

"Uh-uh."

"Then you’ll get..."

His eyes filled with admiration as Mingyu magically untangled all the problems using formula after formula. He made it so easy for Wonwoo to understand.

"There. You got it?"

"Oh wow...,” he did not need to say anymore. Wonwoo's gaze already told him everything. Mingyu blushed a bit. "You're so smart..."

Okay, _now_ he's flushing. Mingyu laughed it off, though, easing the mood. "It's nothing," with a wave of hand, he dismissed the topic swiftly. "You can do the next problem by yourself. The formula is the same. Try it."

He saw how Wonwoo's eyebrows met at the middle. As he bent his upper body down, tip of his nose almost poking the notebook, Wonwoo poured all of his concentration to the next problem. That meant Mingyu was left with nothing to do. He reclined on his seat, looking outside the window next to Wonwoo’s desk, watching the boys playing soccer at the field and the girls cheering for them. His eyes wandered around until they stopped to look at a couple of girls with a boy.

"Hunting season," a whisper, not intentionally wanted to be heard, but Wonwoo caught it anyway.

"What?" he raised his head from the notebook.

"Hunting season," Mingyu repeated. "Do you know that girls at this school currently have a fierce competition to be kissed by boys?"

Wonwoo's cheeks went a shade deeper. _Of course he knows_ , thought Mingyu.

"Umm...did you...," with chin perched on one hand, Mingyu waited for Wonwoo to finish his words. "Has...umm....has anyone, you know..."

Mingyu giggled. "What? Has any girl claimed my first kiss yet?" his giggle went even louder as Wonwoo nodded repeatedly.

"Nope," he said with, strangely, confidence, forcing another frown from Wonwoo.

"Nobody?"

"Nope."

"For real?"

"Yeah," he smiled.

"You're lying."

Mingyu sealed his lips. Tight.

"Oh my God, _for real_??"

He smiled again, nodding slowly.

"But-but I thought...you…out of all people, should've been...I mean...umm..."

His tongue felt stiff. Naturally, Mingyu's smile changed to a more tender one. The kind of smile you gave to that one special person in your life. "We can change that, you know?" now it was a whisper meant to be heard.

Wonwoo immediately stared at him. Class at break really was empty, wasn't it? Even a mere whisper could be heard so clear. "Change?" he tilted his head. Confused.

"Yeah. If you want to, we can change the fact that I have never been kissed."

Even more question marks popped above Wonwoo's head. He did not understand at all. "What do you mean?" asked him.

How cute. How so very, adorably, cute.

"Well, for instance, you can k—"

"THERE YOU ARE!"

The classroom door slammed open and, from it, came Kwon Soonyoung. The obnoxious, overenthusiastic friend of Wonwoo. He came with a bunch of girls tailing behind him.

"There you go, ladies, the Jeon Wonwoo."

In a blink of an eye, the girls were surrounding Wonwoo and, automatically, him. Two girls tried to talk with Wonwoo, the rest put their attention mainly to Mingyu, distracted from their main target.

_"Hey, hey, you're more of my type."_

_"I know you! Aren't you Kim Mingyu?"_

_"No way! THE Kim Mingyu? The boy who rejected half this school already?"_

_"I see why. Hey, do you wanna go out with me?"_

Mingyu rolled his eyes. He ignored them yapping around to look at Wonwoo. His friend seemed nicely talking to the two girls. They chatted civilly. But, as seconds bleed away, Wonwoo was getting more uncomfortable. One of the girls pushed a box of present to Wonwoo, which he pushed back. Accidentally, the box fell onto the floor with a clatter.

"Ah, I'm sorry—"

Right at that moment, the girl threw herself at Wonwoo. Arms wrapped around Wonwoo's neck. Bewildered (and clearly slow-witted), Wonwoo just stood there, dumbfounded, as the girl tip-toed, face inched closer and closer, lips heavy with gloss trying to brush the boy's thin ones.

"Wha—"

" _OUCH!_ "

A blink and Wonwoo snapped back to reality. Before his eyes, a hand pushed the girl's temple, forcing her far away from Wonwoo with all his might. He trailed the hand linked to an arm then linked to a face. An angry, ready to explode, face.

"BACK OFF!" if a human could bark, Mingyu would be the perfect epitome of that. "DON'T TOUCH HIM! DON'T YOU _EVER_ TOUCH HIM!"

Break time was over already, so the class began to fill in again. Mainly Wonwoo’s classmates were watching the commotion they made. "Mingyu, chill!" startled beyond belief, Soonyoung tried to calm the boy down. He could not comprehend what had gotten Mingyu that mad. "It's only a kiss—"

Mingyu shoved the girl. She fell onto the floor, earning audible gasps from the other students. Wonwoo, also shocked, managed to catch Mingyu's arm before he raised it to hit the girl. It's a girl. Mingyu _never_ hit a girl.

"Mingyu, stop!" Wonwoo shouted. Panic washed his whole.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Don't hit me!"

"Oi, Mingyu! What’s wrong—"

" _THE HECK IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU??_ COMING SUDDENLY, STEALING KISSES? YOU GIRLS ARE HARASSING US!"

"Mingyu—"

"YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO STEAL HIS FIRST KISS! IT'S _MINE_!"

A dead silence. Soonyoung opened his mouth. Closed it again. Then opened again. "....Oh my friggin...,” now he got it. Very clearly.

"I WAITED 6 YEARS AND HE’S STILL NOT GIVING IT TO ME! WHO THE HELL ARE _YOU_ , TRYING TO STEAL IT FROM ME JUST LIKE _THAT_??"

Everyone there were stunned. No words could be formed inside their heads. Not the girl. Not Kwon Soonyoung. And, of course, not Jeon Wonwoo.

"Don't you dare, don't any of you dare, to steal his kisses!" Mingyu growled dangerously. He put his arms around Wonwoo’s neck suddenly, pulling the boy into his embrace. "This one is mine!"

Before Wonwoo could even process everything that was happening, he was already outside, dragged by his best friend. There they were, sitting side by side on the grass. Cheerful sunshine radiated on Earth. Too cheery for the gloomy mood.

"Sorry...," Mingyu whined. Head was lost between his own thighs. "I'm sorry, Wonwoo, I did not mean to. My head just. It went blank. I was. I'm sorry..."

Wonwoo did not understand. Mingyu was a really weird best friend of his. He was 6 when Mingyu's words shook him to the core. Today was no different.

"Mingyu..."

No answer.

"We are friends,” he added. "Good friends."

Without warning, Wonwoo put his head onto Mingyu's shoulder. "Thank you for saving me, my good friend Mingyu," a content smile was all he gave to Mingyu.

There was a rip, psychologically, inside his chest. A small rip, just a tiny one, yet it ached deeply. Because, once again, he was rejected by the one he wanted so bad.

_("I wonder how many hearts would you break in the future.")_

"Yeah...," Mingyu sighed. Full of despair. "You're welcome, my good friend Wonwoo..."

_(There's only one heart, Mom, and it's mine.)_


	3. 15.

_** 15. ** _

At the age of 15, several months before middle school graduation, Mingyu rested his stomach on Wonwoo's comfy grey rug, while Wonwoo sat beside him with a full focus. They were playing a game, in which Mingyu was clearly losing but did not even bother. Another hook under his character's chin and he's dead, K.O-ed for the fourth time that night.

"You're sucks at this," Wonwoo laughed. His cute nose scrunched up.

Mingyu would always be sucks if that made Wonwoo laugh like that.

"Guess it's time to replace me with a less-sucks friend,” he was joking lightly as he put away the controller and heaved himself up to Wonwoo's bed. Hugging the boy's pillow, he watched silently at how Wonwoo started another new game. Story mode this time, playing by himself against the computerized opponent to gain the road of victory.

A silence spread between them. Wonwoo too focused and Mingyu too sleepy. It’s still half past nine, but his day was tiring. Studying for upcoming exam (of course, Wonwoo insisted him to study together, cos how else he'd finally study?), playing soccer with his other friends before coming back to Wonwoo's home, a promise of sleepover a week before kept as the original reason, ignoring the underlying one Mingyu desperately buried deep inside.

"I will never."

"Hmm?" he was pulled from his slumber.

"I will never replace you with anyone."

A caught of breath, and then, a casual chuckle, "Really? Not even with a less-sucks friend who can beat your ass in any game?"

Wonwoo snorted. His laughter, a mesmerizing song inside Mingyu's head, swirled around and messing with his sanity.

"Especially with that."

Mingyu smiled until all died down again. Before him, a pale white nape was exposed without any barrier. The base of Wonwoo's dark hair. The light sheen of sweat because they opened the window instead of turning on the air conditioner. Night in summer was warm enough to enjoy some air. Cicadas were ringing from nearby park.

And the scent. _Wonwoo's._ Fresh. A little musky, yet so sweet. So like Wonwoo.

Mingyu knew he could just easily push his head to kiss that nape.

_He could._

"I want to kiss you."

_But he would not._

He saw with his own eyes how that white nape strained from his words. "Do you remember my proposal to you?" Mingyu settled behind him until his breath tickled on that fair skin. Still, no reaction came from Wonwoo. "It's still the same. I want to kiss you."

Splotch of red colored Wonwoo’s cheeks. And the back of his ears. And, of course, his nape.

"Wonwoo.”

The boy whose name being called shifted his body uneasily. Voice, so deep. A manly voice. Straight into his ear.

A voice he could not recognize belong to his best friend.

"Can I kiss you?"

_Click!_

With a rush, Wonwoo turned off his game console. Then, he turned around, beaming so bright, it blinded Mingyu.

"Mingyu. We're best friends,” instead of a kiss, he hugged him. "I'm so happy for you being my friend. I will never trade you with anyone else."

His hug was soft. His scent permeated right into Mingyu's mind.

"Thank you for always being my friend, Mingyu."

There it was again. The rip. It felt bigger than when he was 11. It felt bigger and...and more painful. He had to try to actually breathe. But when he breathed in, Wonwoo's scent was also inhaled.

It was a torture, to say the least.

"Thank you, Mingyu."

His throat was suddenly dry. And when he gulped down, it hurt.

"Yeah..."

Two light pats on Wonwoo's back were all that he could give as an answer to his third rejection.


	4. 16.

_** 16. ** _

He was 16 when Chaeyeon came into his life.

Mingyu was into photography for a little while now. Finding that he could create a new world through his lens made him forget about the rejections from Wonwoo. He found solace in his hobby and, eventually, in his friendship with the girl.

It was all a little misunderstanding when they met. He was taking pictures of flowers in their school garden and she thought he was taking pictures of her without permission. She almost slammed him onto the ground (that black belt clearly gave her an advantage here) if not for Mingyu apologizing fervently to her.

Both being natural social butterflies and in the same grades, in no time, they were seen around together so much. Mingyu liked being her friend. She's honest and easy to befriended with. Chaeyeon also liked being his friend. Mingyu was not what all the girls thought he was. It's scary, how people made assumptions freely based on what they saw on the surface and what they believed in. It was all inside their heads, yet they ensured themselves that they were right, that it was the reality.

Like, they believed Kim Mingyu was a playboy with no brain.

At one of their encounters in school cafeteria, Chaeyeon shot this question directly at him, making Mingyu hella confused.

"But how? I mean, you're the only girl I've ever had lunch with," he gulped down his water.

She answered with a shrug, lazily toying with her noodles, too bland for her taste. "Beats me. Probably because of that face of yours,” she pointed her chopsticks at Mingyu. "And that body of yours. And your personality."

"?? What's wrong with all of those??" he retorted, clearly puzzled.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Good, even. Almost perfect, quote unquote all those girls," she also complemented this statement with said gesture.

Mingyu squinted. "You mean, ‘cos they're thirsting after me, so now I'm a motherfucking jerk who dates girls as often as I change clothes?" his eyes widened in disbelief when Chaeyeon nodded.

_Wow…really, people…_

"Wow...and I thought everyone knew...,” Mingyu mumbled.

"Knew what?"

He gasped. "You _don't_ know??" he was earnestly shocked.

"I don’t know… _what_?” she pouted, not liking the way Mingyu said it.

"That I've been waiting for one person in my life."

There spread a long silence, leaving clatters and murmurs around them. Chaeyeon stared at him, trying to find any sign that Mingyu was joking with her. She could not. Because he was actually not.

"For real?"

Mingyu nodded.

"So that means you're a virgin?"

"Wait, what that's gotta do with—"

"Oh my God, you fucking _are_ ," Chaeyeon held a hand in front of her mouth. "Oh my God. _Kim Mingyu_. I never thought. _Oh my_."

" _SHUT UP_!" he hissed violently. Cheeks were reddened for sure. Head was turning around to make sure no one heard her, especially the one he implied. But, luck be damned, he found Wonwoo just beside him, walking pass by their table. He brought a tray of food.

"Mingyu," with a soft smile and comforting voice his best friend always had, he greeted him.

"W-won-" he was busy being nervous, both from how pretty Wonwoo was and praying he did not hear any of the words uttered. This sudden development of an event dropped his usual impenetrable indifferent wall, which Chaeyeon, bless that girl, easily noticed. And to say she was surprised by the revelation was an understatement itself. Oh no. She was _ecstatic_.

"I see you are with a friend," Wonwoo kept smiling. He acknowledged her by nodding at her direction. She returned the nod and smiled back.

"Hi. I'm Jung Chaeyeon. Mingyu's friend," she did not hold her hand as Wonwoo’s hands were obviously busy holding a tray.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jeon Wonwoo. I'm his neighbor—"

"Best friend," Mingyu cut him off.

Wonwoo just sighed. A pleased smile formed as he saw how Mingyu frowned, clearly did not like the way Wonwoo addressed himself as. "Yes. Yes. I'm this kid's best friend," if only his hands were free, he would have rustled Mingyu's hair already. To see that pout turned slowly into a smile was Wonwoo's secret leisure.

"And fiancé."

Wonwoo froze. Okay, that killed the mood, like, literally.

"We are not engaged, Mingyu."

"No. We are not. ‘Cos you keep avoiding me."

" _Mingyu_."

The boy scoffed. Hands folded in front of his chest.

"Mingyu. We are good friends. And it won't help you in having a relationship if you keep sprouting nonsense like that," Wonwoo tried to level with him. "I'm sorry, Chaeyeon. Please don't take it seriously. He's just joking. I'm sure you two make a good couple—"

_SLAM!_

Wonwoo almost threw his tray in shock when Mingyu stood up suddenly, hitting the table, almost breaking it in half. "DON'T DICTATE MY FEELINGS!" he turned in anger at Wonwoo, not taking in how many people there watching them. He did not care even a bit. What he cared of was that Wonwoo's words struck him right to the core, into his heart. And it bled.

It bled.

_It hurt._

"JUST HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO ASK TO KISS YOU FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT I'M SERIOUS?!"

Chaeyeon's mouth fell open as Wonwoo was blushing furiously. Lips stuttering as if he was uncertain what choice of words he should answer with.

"B-b-but, Mingyu, you were, like, 5 and-"

"AND I STILL WANT YOU! GODDAMMIT, WONWOO!” he grasped his front hair in frustration. "I meant what I said. I always meant what I said to you. Be it when I'm 5, or 11, or 15...or _now_." He lifted his head to look at Wonwoo in the eye. "Please take me seriously. If you can't see a future with me, please reject me in the right way. Please just..."

He got choked by his overwhelmed feelings. He did not know all those thoughts he kept hidden until now would be spilling out like crazy in the damn school cafeteria, at one busy lunch break, in front of all these people.

"I'm sorry, I'm-"

"Mingyu! Oi!" Chaeyeon stood up in an instant, bowing at Wonwoo, then ran after her friend, leaving Wonwoo there, embarrassed, alone, among the mass of students whispering between each other about them.

His grip tightened on the tray as his lips pressed hard.

* * *

She found Mingyu curling like an unborn fetus at a hidden spot of their school garden. She heaved a sigh before sitting beside him. "Sorry to hear that, Mingyu," she started. "I can tell him later that we're just friends."

Mingyu shook his head. "No need. He won't care," the big, tall man sniffed. It was almost pitiful to watch. Chaeyeon lent him her tissue, which Mingyu accepted with relief.

"So...since you're 5?"

Mingyu nodded, blowing his nose to a sheet of tissue.

"That's some...loyalty. I admit, you're very different from all the rumors."

He laughed. "Must’ve made you disappointed," a sad joke indeed, everything he did.

"Quite the contrary, actually," she petted Mingyu's head. "I like this Kim Mingyu more."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. If I don't have a boyfriend, I'd use this moment to make you fall head over heels with me," she grinned.

He too, grinned, as playfully as her, despite all those wet stains on his cheeks. "Please don't," he said. "I like being friends with you."

"I like you too," she petted him a bit more, then opened her arms. "Come here, big boy."

And with that, Mingyu hugged her. He felt small inside her embrace. The sobbing continued. It would be a lie if Chaeyeon said it didn't break her heart a bit, seeing Mingyu like this. She wondered how even more hurting Mingyu's heart was right now.

"It's okay. It's okay," she stroked his back gently, trying to comfort him. "You're okay, Mingyu. It's okay..."

She kept repeating it like a chant, as Mingyu poured his heart out. That very night, Mingyu decided that high school would be his turning point. If Wonwoo could not return his feelings by the time he graduated, then he would forget about him.

He would forget about a bespectacled boy with tousled dark hair, fair skin, and a cute scrunched up nose whenever he laughed so damn adorably.


	5. 17.

_** 17. ** _

Age 17. The end of his journey.

In a week, Wonwoo would graduate. In a week, Wonwoo would hop on a train taking him somewhere far, far away, to study a subject he wanted the most, leaving Mingyu behind. Alone. Tormented.

"You're exaggerating," he laughed at Mingyu, one day, when the boy whined about it. "You can always come visit me. Or I can come home in Summer break. It's only 3 hours train ride anyway."

_3 hours going. 3 hours back. It’s 6 hours, dummy, you are really bad at Math, huh?_ Mingyu thought bitterly.

Not to mention Wonwoo was back treating him like a good friend he always was, as if that disastrous lunch time had never happened in the first place. Crying his heart out to Chaeyeon really helped Mingyu gathering whatever bits of his heart still remained. So when Wonwoo approached him a week after that, he could look at his best friend's eyes again and smiled genuinely.

He had decided to forget about Wonwoo. But, even if it was for the better rather than the worse, it would still feel like a spine jammed into his chest and lingered there, never to be removed. Mingyu might be able to forget his love for Wonwoo, but he was sure the boy would never, ever, leave him as he was imprinted deep at the back of his head. Inside his memory. Implanted. Never really gone.

Even now, whenever Mingyu closed his eyes, in the darkness, he would always see the boy who got away with half of his heart and never returned it. Half of his heart which believed in the paper ring and shotgun marriage. Of flower crown and a stolen kiss in late Summer breeze.

Of loving someone.

Without ever really stopping.

Without ever really noticing.

Of how, when, or why.

He would always remember Jeon Wonwoo on that day, squirming behind his mother's back with large, curious eyes, scanning at him.

"Mingyu."

A call of his name and he was brought back to the present. Here he was, standing in front of Wonwoo at the door of his train car. The boy he loved so much was beaming at him, dressed in a navy blue varsity jacket. Beneath, a simple tee and washed up jeans complemented his good looks. His hair was ruffled, alluringly messed up. Pieces of innocence kept within a pair of round glasses he wore daily.

He was handsome. Pretty. Beautiful.

_Enchanting._

A person he could never get. The one that got away.

"Don't cry tonight, okay?"

Mingyu snorted, "Who would?"

"You."

"Yearite, Jeon."

It was a dry laugh. Not really his best effort to cover up, he admitted. They said nothing for seconds, before Wonwoo curled his lips into a playful smile.

"So, has your first kiss been stolen finally?"

Mingyu shrugged it off, did not really care. "I guess," he said nonchalantly.

" _Really?_ " Wonwoo gasped. Both his eyebrows lifted up.

"...No," he grumbled. He really did not want to talk about this. It only left a bitter taste on his tongue.

"Humm..."

Another silence.

"Mingyu," Wonwoo started. "Thank you for being my good friend for all these years."

Mingyu looked down at his shoes. Frowning.

"You know, I try to imagine my life without you, but it's really something that I cannot do," he laughed. "We’re never separated since we’re kids, anyway."

He hated this. Mingyu hated this.

"And now...now's the time for something new..."

He fucking hated this.

"Wonwoo."

It shut the other boy up. Kim Mingyu lifted his head and locked their gazes. Deeply, strongly, just like when he was 5 and they were at the foyer again in Wonwoo’s house.

"Can I—"

It died there, at the tip of his tongue. Wonwoo was smiling at him, waiting for Mingyu to finish his sentence. Waiting like a good friend he always was and would ever be.

_Can I kiss you?_

What a futile attempt for 12 years. Wonwoo had never even once looked at him like that.

"......No. It's okay," so he pulled all his feelings back from the tip of his tongue and swallowed them hard. Locked them up at the base of his chest, forcefully sank them so that they would never reach the surface ever again. "It's nothing. Take care, Wonwoo. Call me whenever."

Wonwoo laughed sweetly.

"You too. Don't cry too much, okay? I will come home next Summer, so be a good boy and study."

Mingyu snickered. "I hate study," he stated.

"I know."

Wonwoo took one step forward.

"Don't forget to read the letter."

"What letter?"

He tapped on his own left chest, actually pointing at Mingyu's shirt pocket. The boy automatically looked at it, but there was nothing there. He was confused.

"Mingyu."

"Won, I don’t get it, what let—"

Something soft pressed against his lips, gently, like a flutter of butterfly wings.

"Bye, Gyu."

Wonwoo stepped back and the train door closed instantly. Mingyu could only stare like a fool until the smug face of his best friend disappeared completely from his view, taken by the train until the next Summer came.

Then he found a letter inside his pocket. He opened it, wondering how on Earth it got there anyway. A letter, crisp, folded, containing only one word in a beautiful handwriting of Jeon Wonwoo:

_Yes._

Yes.

_Can I kiss you?_

_Yes._

Yes. Yes. _Yes._

Slowly, gradually, grinning he was. Wide, joyous, like a mad man. Eyes lit up as all hope and bliss rushed in. Body all trembling, he reached for his phone to call his friend, Chaeyeon, to tell her everything. Of course, if he cried during so, he could always tell Wonwoo that Chaeyeon made him to ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next is the last chapter. Thank you for keeping up with the story until this far ❤


	6. 17.

_** 17. ** _

He was 17 when he realized he had fallen in love with his best friend.

Ever since that humid summer night in his room, he could not let go of the fact that Mingyu's voice affected him way much more than he had expected. A voice of a man, of a one _fine_ man.

He began to notice little things he had not seen before from their years of friendship. Little details so subtly, Wonwoo often missed them altogether. Like, how Mingyu had a nice, strong jaw which encouraged him to stroke his hands along. How his neck looked so sexy when he tilted his head in confusion (and how that gesture radiated the innocent cuteness the man was doused with). How that tiny, adorable fang showed whenever Mingyu laughed so wide, so freely.

And how his best friend—a handsome, smart, kind, _perfect_ best friend—crept his way up into his heart and made a spot there without him even knowing all this time. Reserved table. Permanent residency.

"I feel like I'm the worst asshole...," he sighed.

It was one regular day in the class. Wonwoo put his head desperately on his desk. His other best friend, Kwon Soonyoung, who happened to be with him too since elementary, snorted in response. He himself was texting his girlfriend just across Wonwoo’s seat.

"What did Mingyu do this time?"

"Being handsome as fuck."

Soonyoung blinked. He was indeed distracted from his phone now. "Well, well," he snickered. "Look who's finally fallen to the prince's charm."

"Shut up," Wonwoo groaned.

"No fucking way. I've been waiting for you guys to tie the knot since that blatant confession in our 6th grade, Won, don't let my MinWon agenda fails dramatically."

"Wait, what?" Wonwoo looked at him. Suspicion grew rapidly. "Hold the fuck up. You didn't make a bet on us, did you?"

.

.

.

" _Kwon Soonyoung_...," the bespectacled boy hissed dangerously, making Soonyoung gulped and laughed nervously.

"A-anyway," he tried to avoid the topic. "Since when you…?”

Another groan was heard.

"I don't know.... It's just that, he's really different from the Mingyu I knew, you know? He was once a very cute, nice little puppy. So fluffy and soft inside, while rough and all playful outside. He would follow me anywhere with his imaginary tail wagging behind him. He would cry if I did not indulge him, so I guess that was what make him likes me? I don't know...," Wonwoo sighed heavily. "He's changed. He became this handsome, sexy as fuck, Greek fucking God, with that nice body, that nice face, that nice smile… He can get anyone he wants with only a wink. I don’t know. I don't wanna be one of his fans, drooling over my own best friend, like all those girls...you know?"

When he looked back at Soonyoung, the boy was staring at him like he's some kind of a nutjob. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he said in disbelief.

"Huh?"

"Jeon Wonwoo, you have four eyes and yet, you cannot see even a thing as clear as a day."

Wonwoo frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

Soonyoung moved his upper body forward. "Have you ever seen the way he looks at you for all these years?" he stated in all seriousness.

Wonwoo blinked slowly. Those words attached to him that day, even that night. Those words attached to him later on, when Mingyu was by his side, talking animatedly. Those words attached deeply, rooted in his mind when Mingyu stopped talking all of a sudden, then turned his head to look at Wonwoo in the eye. Eyes that were so soft, gazing at him with so much admiration. So much hope. So much, so much...

...love.

_Can I kiss you?_

It came back again. The voice inside his head. The voice belonged to a man, full of longing and suppressed passion. And this loving gaze. This gaze directed upon him. Only him. Wonwoo was struck by the sudden realization, as his eyes trailed the line of Mingyu's face.

This man. This perfect, fine specimen of a man that might exist only one in a million.

_This man loves me._

So when all came downhill one day, when Wonwoo saw Mingyu had his lunch with a beautiful girl he did not know, he stood there like a fucking asshole. He just made Mingyu mad. Or worst, he might even be crying right now. He could not say that he was not jealous at all, that Mingyu seemed so friendly towards the girl. They matched each other. Handsome boy with a beautiful girl.

And Wonwoo?

Well, Wonwoo was just... _Wonwoo_.

All the rumors he had heard since Mingyu's elementary confession, on how he was not the perfect fit for someone oh so charming, engulfed him again. He was a nobody. A regular guy living a regular life. Mingyu would end up being a famous person in the future and Wonwoo would probably just doing an 8-5 job in an ordinary company. Mingyu would get bored with him eventually, just like he got bored of his racing car given by his father years ago.

He thought by doing that, by making Mingyu mad, Mingyu would finally get rid of him. He and that girl would date and moved on. Which came as a surprise to him to meet the said girl a day after that humiliating scene. She was waiting for him in front of his classroom. She then told him everything. About the truth, about Mingyu's struggle. About his decision to stop wanting Wonwoo at his graduation a year from now. He just stood there and listened to her. Lips thin, pressed in silence.

"Just, _please_ ," Chaeyeon said. "If you truly have no romantic feelings for him, please reject him properly. But, if there is just a little possibility, just a tiny, little bit, then—"

"Why?" he cut her off. "Why are you doing this?"

Chaeyeon smiled sadly, "He's my first guy friend whom I love dearly. He helped me in my worst time. He helped me mend my relationship with my boyfriend. He's a kind man."

_I know that_ , Wonwoo thought.

"And that kind man loves you."

He also knew that.

"I'm sorry if I’m meddling too much, but please, just...let him be happy..."

Just what it was, that holding him back so much? Mingyu loved him, had been loving him. He fully realized that by now. Was he afraid that, if it did not work out between them, he would lose this 12 years of a friendship?

"When one fell in love with another, you know the friendship is dead already, Won," Soonyoung said with a strange certainty. These days, he would always seek his other best friend for, surprisingly, some charity wisdom for his poor, bewildered soul. "But then again, from the start, there is no friendship between you two." Soonyoung laughed, while Wonwoo pouted at him.

"What? Why?" he demanded.

"Because," a playful grin came across his face. "He proposed to you the minute you two met, didn't he? So, all of this time, it’s him _courting_ you."

It made Wonwoo think. Another perspective to see.

"But what if we don’t make it? What if, what if he gets bored with me and looks for other love?"

Soonyoung clicked his tongue, "If a man courts you for that long, I believe he would court you for the rest of his lifetime. Put some trust in that boy, Won, he’s been loving you since forever."

And some trust he put.

Slowly, in the remaining time of the two of them together, before graduation kicked in, he learned earnestly like he learned Math way back then.

He learned about a boy named Kim Mingyu, who loved so generously as if he was breathing.

And, one day, Wonwoo woke up, fresh from a very good sleep. He looked outside the window. The clear blue sky. Flock of birds was chirping happily. Flower petals were falling as they were hit by a gentle wind.

A beautiful day.

To fall in love.

* * *

"Mingyu, sit down. You’re making me nervous too," his mother clicked her tongue. They were at Wonwoo's house due to an invitation for lunch and, also, a small celebration of Wonwoo’s homecoming.

Wonwoo's mother laughed at his wariness. "He's coming, Gyu. There's just a delay in his train,” she said, assuring the boy who was pacing back and forth while also repeatedly checking the window.

"I wonder what Mingyu would do for college?" it was Wonwoo's father. He poured some cold beer into Mingyu's father's glass. "He's graduating this year, right?"

"Well, you'll be surprised! That boy said he'll go to Wonwoo's university!" a genuine laughter came loud from his own father.

"Really? Aissh, these two, can’t even get separated for a little bit of time."

"Well," Mingyu's mother rolled her eyes. "Probably because they're—"

"I'm home!"

"It's him!"

"Gyu, don't rush!"

There, at the foyer, he saw Wonwoo. Pretty, soft smiled, a bit beaten from travel Wonwoo. _His Wonwoo_.

"Hey, Gyu—"

He was cut off suddenly with a kiss. Both Mingyu's hands were on his cheeks, cupping them. Wonwoo was stunned, especially when he saw the face his parents made behind Mingyu. Mingyu's father's mouth fell open, while his mother sighed at them.

_Oh. She knew about us, huh?_

But then, Wonwoo closed his eyes. He decided to enjoy this moment, this kiss from the boy who fought all his life to be where they at right now, who managed to break through his wall and stole his heart.

The boy whom he put his trust into.

With a soft gasp, the kiss was broken. "I love you,” Mingyu whispered to his lips. Wonwoo laughed a little by that unexpected confession. "Will you marry me?"

Their foreheads pressed against each other as they were talking in a hushed voice. Yet, Wonwoo believed their parents could hear them just fine.

"Depends on my mother and father," Wonwoo jokingly said. "You have to ask them for my hands."

"I will," Mingyu's fingers were gently caressing his cheeks. "I will ask for your hands. I will marry you."

"Hmm."

"Wonwoo?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Wonwoo laughed a bit louder this time. His nose scrunched up, just as Mingyu loved it.

"Please," he linked his arms around Mingyu's neck. "I've been dying for that."

It was Mingyu's turn to grin. He nuzzled Wonwoo's nose lovingly, hugging him tenderly around his waist.

"Mingyu."

"Yeah?"

Wonwoo smiled.

"I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end. Thank you for reading ❤️
> 
> [CC](https://curiouscat.qa/vienely) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thesunmetmoon) for Indonesian AU (stories, check Likes)


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